Random thoughts and ramblings of an avid cyclist, bike shop owner and mechanic, lover of the outdoors, etc.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

DC Moonlight Ride

Well, tonight was the night for the DC Moonlight Monuments ride... which Annie and I didn't find out about until today. Spur of the moment and all, we decided to head into the city and give it a whirl. I did one of these rides way back in the 80s, and it was a lot of fun, and it looked like it was shaping up to be a lovely evening. And it was... just warm enough, a lovely moon, and a bunch of fun people were gathered for it.

The city is really pretty at night, and on a Saturday evening, traffic isn't too crazy down by the Mall and the monuments, which is where the ride travels. And motorists seemed to be pretty mellow about a big pack of cyclists taking over the street, or nearly taking it over. We tried as a rule to stay in one lane, but that didn't always work out.

It was all going along swimmingly, until about a quarter of the way into the ride, when one of the other folks from Bikes@Vienna got a flat on a tandem. Annie and I stopped to see if they needed help, as did another pair of Bikes@Vienna folk. By the time I had stopped, Tom and James were already starting to try to fix it, so I just stood by offering advice and a pump. Without boring you with the details, suffice to say the repair was unsuccessful. By the time it was decided to give up on it, the rest of the ride had passed us by, so Annie and I decided to head out on our own a bit further. By the time we got to the WWII memorial, we figured we just weren't going to catch the group, so we decided to hop on the subway and head for home.

It was a little disappointing to not finish the ride, but we still had a lot of fun, and it was a gorgeous night out there. So we'll be there for the next one!

Me at the 2009 Brompton World Championship

About Me

I'm a fiftysomething guy who loves bicycles and just about everything related to bicycles. I used to work in the field of theatrical technical production (scenery and lighting, primarily), but in the last 5 years have begun a career in the bicycle industry. I'm now the owner of bikes@vienna, a small, independent bike shop in Vienna, VA, that specializes in what other shops don't carry... specifically, recumbents and folding bikes. We also cater to folks with special needs who want to enjoy the outdoors on two or three wheels. When I'm not riding or working on bikes, I enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities, as well as reading and just hanging out with my cat.

What will you find here?

In general you can expect to see observations about what's going on in my life, as well as information and thoughts related to bicycles and bicycle repair and construction. I also seem to write a lot about Tybalt, my cat, or so I have been told.

What's with the name?

Well, I chose "Spokes of a Wheel" for several reasons... First, because I love bicycles, and in particular, the bicycle wheel. They are just amazing works of technology and art, in my opinion. Second, in a typical bicycle wheel, spokes radiate outward from a center, and cross and touch each other as they do... kinda like people, no? Finally, I am a native of the DC area, and I have always found it humorous that people try to explain the street "system" there as "like spokes in a wheel". Look at it sometime... or better yet, drive it, and tell me where you've seen such a bizarrely spoked wheel!